Wire-stretcher.



W. C. DICKERSON.

WIRE STRETCHER,

APPLICATION FILED IAN.2, 1917.

L I 'PatenIed A Ig. 21,1917.'

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WARREN C., DICKERSON, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE-STRETCHEB.,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug.' 21, 1917.

Application led January 2, 1917. lSerial No. 140,146.

door openings to prevent `the admission -of p flies and other insects.

A leading object of my invention is t0 provide a device -such asreferred to, which consists of few parts and is, therefore, simple inconstruction i and `may be cheaply manufactured, and whichhas one: partto engage the meshes lof the wire and another part to fulcrum againstand slide over the outer edge of the frame towhich the wire is to beattached, to thereby stretch the wire and to lock againstthe `frameandmaintain itself in place with the wire under tension rduring thesubsequent tacking of the wire 4,to kthe frame.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists oftheparts and the constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts,which I will hereinafterdescribe and claim.

Inthe accompanying drawing forming part of this speciication and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the severalviews;

Figure 1 is la perspective view of a portionl of a window or door-screenshowing the stretcher in its initial engagement with the wire sheet. e

Fig. 2 is aI similar view` showing the stretcher locked in position onthe frame and holding the wire in its stretched or tightened condition.f

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View `on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4c is a 'perspective view of the slidable jaw.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal `sectional view of a device of modified form.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view ofFig. 5 showing parts broken away.

In carrying out my invention I `employ a lbody-portion, A, and "whichIwill :hereinfafter refer to as a stationary jaw, said jaw being ofsutlicient length to enable one part of it `to pass over the ordinarywindow or door stile or rail, for a suliicient distance to engage thesheet of Lscreen-wire, which ordinarily is laid thereon, said jaw havingits shank, A,eXtending rearwardly a sufficient distancey beyond theframe to serve as a handle by which the tool or implement may bemanipulated. The forward edge of this stationary jaw, A, `is turned toone side and is serrated to form a series of teeth, a, which aredesigned to enter between the meshes of the wire-cloth and to takesecure hold of the same.

Slidaloly mounted upon the stationary jaw I.is lan larched clamping yokeor frame, B, the side memberso'f which are turned under the yside edgesofthe jaw, A, to form guides ,or channels, c, thereby enabling the yokeor frame to be adjusted back and forth on `the stationary jaw, saidin'turned ends of these sides also serving to receive and to hold theslidablejaw, C, of the device. The

slidable jaw consists of a bent plate or bar having one part, 2,arranged parallel to the shankfof the stationary jaw, A, and having`another part, 3, substantially at Y rightanglesy to the first-namedpartvand to they shank of the stationary jaw and adapted to extend downover :the outer edge of the stile or rail of therscreen-'frame and tobear with increasing pressure thereon, whereby the stationary jaw isdrawn outwardly and the screen-wire engaged thereby is stretched orVplaced under tension, as the deviceis moved from the position shown inFig. 1, tothe locked position shown in Fig. 2, in which latter positionit will be found that the device ybecomes locked to the frame andcannotbe displaced except by force applied in a reverse direction -tothe outer shank portion of said stationary jaw. When in this aforesaidlocked position, the wire is held tightly stretched lover the frame, inwhich locked to they latter, I may locate underthe arched portion oftheclamp, or yoke, B, a plate or nut','E, which'is confined between theshank of the stationary j aw, A, and the under surface of the yoke orclamp and has a threaded opening adapted to receive the correspondingportion of a thumb-screw, F, wing-nut or the like, the end of which isdesigned .to bear against the shank, Ay, so that `when the 'screw isturned the nut or plate will be caused to ride thereon andrv to bearagainst the innersurface of the yoke and therebycause the clamp and themovable jaw member carried therebyl to be tightly clamped against andyheld to the shank `of the stationary jaw. f

To prevent the detachment of they slidable jaw from its associatedclamp, if desired,

anyv well-known 1means 'may be employed.

In Figs. 3 and l suitable lugs,V 4, are 'shown as being formed on theedges near one end of the bent slidable jaw and the outer ends of theinturned portions of Vthe sides .of the yoke or clamp are engaged bythese lugsto lock the clamp to said jaw member andthus prevent thedetachment of these parts.

lIn applying the device, the toothed end of the stationary j aw is rst4engaged `with the meshes of the wire cloth, as shown in Fig.

1; l.The clamp is then released and pushed inward `until 'the out-turnedportion ofthe movable 4jaw coinesagainst theedge of the stile or railofthe frame to which the wire is to be attached land Vthen-the yclamp'issecured immovably in place. .The operator then presses upon the shank ofthersta'tionary jaw and as the bent outstanding portion fof the slidablej aw rides over the edge of the screen-frame, it serves as a fulcrum andcauses the device to lmove outwardly with the result that the wire istightly stretched.v TvVhen the shank, A, has beeny pressed down upon orin contact with the screen-frame, the device will be so locked to saidframe that it will retain itself in this 4position 'tothereby enable theoperator -to use bothhan'ds in tacking or nailing the wire clothy to theframe. v f

The'devicefshown in Fig. 5 is similar in construction and operation tothe oneshown in Figs. l and 2, and before described, eX-

cept that" the form 0f clamp is slightly different. y In this case thestationary ljaw,

H, is slotted longitudinally as shownat 10 and 'the' slidable jaw, I, isformed with a tongue, 11, which operatesjinfsaid slot, and l guides the)aw in' its movements.

A bolt, l2, having a head on its-underside passes upwardly through theslidable jaw and the Slot in the .body f 'thefstationary jaw and througha lwasher-,13,- and has its upper vportion engaged by a wing-nut, 14. fIn-*they modified form ofdevice lshown in Figs. 5

and 6, I also employ a lever, l5, the inner end of which is mounted-ontthe aforesaid N .bolt and hasavcam-portion, 16, the purpose of which Il'will now describe. Assuming that the device of Fig. l has been engagedwiththe wire-cloth and screen-frame in the manner before described, andhas y been pressed into the locked position shown in Fig.' 2, and it isdesired lto further stretch the wire while the device is in this lockedposition, the lever, 15, which we will assume is open and is propectinglaterally, may

now be closed or turned about the bolt as a pivot and as itscam-portion, 16, rides. in contact with the inner face of the out-turnedportion of the movable jaw, whichnow fulcrums tightly against the edgeof the screen- -fra1ne,-the stationary jaw, A, which is in engagementwith the wire will be caused to moveoutwardly for a further distancethere- 'by more tightly stretching thewire, said lever becoming lockedafter passing the dead center and remaining in this position until it isdesired to release the parts which may be done by moving the lever in areversel direction from that before described, as will be wellunderstood by those skilled in the art. 1 r

The out-turned portion of the movable jaw -may be substantially straightas in Fig. 1, or

'it may be slightly curved as in Fig. 5 without departing from 'thespirit of my invention, thisv portion in either case serving as lthefulcrum about which the device may be f row of teeth projectingsubstantially at right-angles thereto for engaging the fabric to bestretched, a jaw co-acting with the first-named jaw and slidably mountedtherejon and bent to'form` two members Aone kof 110 `whichissubstantially parallel to said shank and the other is substantially atright-angles to the shank, and is adapted to fulcrum against the edge ofa frame to which the fabric is tobe applied, and means for clamping saidsecond jaw rigidly to said shank.

- 2. In a fabric stretching device, the vcornybination of a relativelythin, wide, flat jaw -having a shank. portion, said jaw having a row ofteeth projecting substantially at rightangles thereto for'engaging thefabric to be stretched, a jaw co-acting'with the -iirst- -named jaw andAslidably mounted thereon and bent to form two members one yof which -issubstantially parallel to said shank and the other is substantially atright-angles to the shank, and is adapted to fulcrumagainst the edge ofa frame to which the fabric is to be applied, andmeans for clamping saidsecond -j aw rigidly to said shank, said clamping means lcomprising ayoke having side portions straddling the edges of said shank andoverlapping the edges of the adjustable jaw and forming a guide foradjusting one jaw relatively to the other.

3. In a fabric stretching device, the combination of a jaw having ashank portion and means for engaging the fabric to be stretched, a jawco-acting with the firstnamed jaw and slidably mounted thereon and bentto form two members one of Which is substantially parallel to said shankand the other is substantially at right-angles to the shank, and isadapted to fulcrum against the edge of a frame to which the fabric is tobe applied, means for clamping said second j aw rigidly to said shank,said clamping means comprising a yoke having side portions straddlingthe edges of said shank and overlapping the edges of the adjustable jawand forming a guide for adjusting one jaw relatively to the other, a nutWithin the yoke and a screw engaging said nut.

4. In a fabric stretching device, the combination of a jaw having ashank portion, said j aw extending continuously substantially in lineWith the shank and having its outer end provided with a row of teethwhich project substantially at right angles to the j aw and shank, saidteeth adapted to engage the fabric to be stretched, and a jaw carried bysaid Vshank portion and bent to form tWo members one of Which extendsalong parallel to. the shank and the other is arranged substantially atright angles to said shank and is adapted to fulcrum against the edge ofa frame to which the fabric is to be applied, said last-named memberbeing relatively Wide to form a broad bearing against the edge of saidframe.

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature.

VARREN C. DICKERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

